Method for reclaiming crankcase oil



April 23, 1946. M. F. PETERS ETAL 93 9 METHOD FOR RECLAIM'ING CRANKCASEOIL Filed April 9, 194a 0/1 ATST/MT 33 INVENTORS 1%101716/5' Pei! 411d gBY A7222: A. Bea! Ae/k 4 r ram/E Y Patented Apr. 23, 1946 Y UNITEDSTATES .PATENT OFFICE" d 2,399,140 METHOD FOR RECLAIMING CRANKCASE OIL vMelville'E. Peters, Belts ville, Ma, and Anne is. Beal, Washington, ,-D.C., assignors to Fred I; McCarthy, Forest Hills, N. Y. I

Application April 9, 1943, Serial No. 482,448

mm. (or, 196-16) This invention relates to cleaning or reclaiming oilfrom crankcase draining, though it may be applied to other uses.

When new or virgin oil is placed in an engine, it soon becomesdiscolored due to heat in the presence of oxygen, and there is anaccumulation of organic salts of iron, lead, copper, etc., whichaccelerates oxidation. Both physical and chemical contamination ofthe'oil proceed together in en'- gines at varying rates. The combinationof ma terials thus formed in the crankcase is commonly known as sludge,which term includes compounds which differ'widely. The contaminants arezwater, soot, lead salts, fuel ends, dust, metal, and oil decompositionproducts. I I l "There are generally two forms of reclaiming,

one the simpler but not entirely satisfactory though perhaps answeringcertain purposes, and the other, requiring a very elaborate andexpensive installation; Neither utilize the invention about to bedescribed. I

Thisinvention contemplates the treatment of such crankcase compounds byadding an alkali or other neutralizer and stirring the same-to obtain athorough admixture, and then subjecting the same to centrifuging, toseparate the solvent with the impurities from the oil. In certain cases,alkali may be omitted, but in all cases it is preferred to use a solventfor the soluble impurities.

The invention is for a process of reclaiming crankcase or similar oil,compounds, which consists in subjecting the oil compounds as they leavethe crankcase and mixed with a solvent to dissolve impurities in thecompounds and neutralize the acids of the compounds, to a centrifugalforce and to a stirring force, both against the action of gravity, thensubjecting the oil and the solvent in respective parallel surface areasheets to contact actions, moving said parallel spread out sheets overeach other at varying velocities in respect to each other, andsubjecting said so moving parallel spread out sheets to the action ofcentrifugal forces for forcing the solvent through the sheet of oil,while moving the oil sheet in surface area contact over the solventsheet, whereby the Fig. 3 is a detail view of another form of device;Fig. 4 is a centralyertical form of centrifuge;

Fig. 5 is a similar section of another form, and Fig. 6 is a similarsection of still another form,

Figs. 4, 5 and 6 being also diagrammatical, to

cleaned oil freed from the solvent is separated y from the solvent.

The invention will be further described with the aid of drawings showingvarious embodiments of apparatus practical in carrying out theinvention, and the invention will be finally claimed.

In the accompanying drawing- Fig. 1 is a central vertical section of a,centrifuge apparatus, largely diagrammatic;

Fig. 2 is a detail view of one form of the device;

show the mode of operation embodied therein.

Similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts throughoutthe various} views.

Referring to Figs. 1, 2 and 3, a motor l0, ro-

tates ac'entrifuge I 3 guided bya bearing l2,fthe

casing of the centrifuge-having an opening M. The inner surfaces Haresecuredto l3'and rotate with the casing. A'feed screw or blade I5 iswithin the tube It of the the crankcase oil with additions thereto areforced thereby into the interiorof the centrifuge, The two liquids formonthe shaft or tube l6 and are carried to the rotating inner surface II. This surface ll may be provided with grooves I! shown in Fig; 2, ordrops ls shown in Fig, 3, to cause further mixing or re-mixi'ng. Thecrankcase oil and additions will be fed slow enough toform a film ofeach after having been centrifuged, thereby giving good contact betweenthe two. If grooves are used as shown in Fig.2, a considerable amount ofwater as an addition is filtered out. The added water dissolves certainof the impurities of the oilwater contents of the crankcase. Ifprojections 30 or drops are used asin Fig.3, the oil will be constantlywashedby surface I 9 of the water, and by regulating the'rate atwhichthe the amount ofwas-hing may be regulated. Hydroxides or other acidneutralizers may be added to the liquids. This may be sodium orpotassium hydroxide 2 to 0 grams per liter of water.

The dotted line 20 shows where the water collects, and between thesurface of the water 20 and the opening it, the clean oil collects. andthis is discharged at the opening 14 as more oil and water is beingintroduced.

By adding water the oil is forced out at opening I l. The water will bebrought close to M as indicated by Ma. The film of oil between l4 and Marepresents the loss of oil for any one run.

Referring to Fig. 4, a. motor I0, centrifuge l3a, opening I4 is againpresent, with a bearing 1!! for the shaft or tube l6 of the centrifuge.

Steam is now used in the place of or in addition to the added water, andthis is forced by fan or turbine blade 15 with the oil upwardly of theshaft l5 into the centrifuge. A filter 23 is arranged on the surface ofthe centrifuge tube. The centrifugal force will cause the water andsection of another centrifuge so that two liquids enter,

out at} the top. While a filter has been shown a and described, it maybe omitted in certain cases of oil treatment.

Referring to Fig. 5, another form of centrifuge.

is shown, with a diagrammatic enlarged fragmentary view in Fig. 6. Thesame motor, casing, bearing, fan, is shown. The oil and added water aredrawn intermixed into the tube or shaft by the fan as heretofore. At 30,projections 3| are provided which form a film of water of a thickness 33over the inner surface of the metal and a film of oil of a thickness 34'overthe, water. As they pass over the projections'3l, they be comefurther mixed. Then by centrifugal action they are separated.

In each of the foregoing modes of operations, the insoluble compounds,such as gelatinous and gummy materials, varnish-like deposits, andgranular carbon, are centrifuged out with the solvent. It is believedthat the, compounds in crankcase oil which cause corrosion are solublein water. Theother compounds which are not soluble are not harmful andarcpresent in such small amounts they will not interfere withlubrication. The heavier metal salts will be thrown out by centrifuging.The water of the crankcase oil is by' far the worst'impurity because itcombines with impurities in'the' oil and causes corrosion. The waterwhich is added serves to assist the water of the crankcase oil in beingcentrifuged. .A form of processing by centrifugal force by which thewater is drawn out, is practical for many uses, and it wouldpay merelyto remove the water from the oil. However, as the centrifuging can becarried out by. various forms of centrifugal machines, the cen--trifugal forces can be so regulated to centrifuge out all foreigningredients of the so-called virgin oil. Soluble materials as water,soot, lead salts, fuel ends, dust and metal may be readily centrifugedout, some with and some without the neutralizing agent, by selectingthe. correct centrifugal force. A powdered acid neutralize! can be used.

A preliminary mixing may be carried out by shaking, stirring, supersonicvibration or the oil compounds as they appear in the crankcase, eitherwith a solvent such as water, or with an alkali as a neutralizer, orwith both.

It will have been noted that in each of the modes of operationsdescribed there was a mixing of a solvent or neutralizer with thecrankcase or like oil, and the separation by centrifugal forc of thesolvent or neutralizer with impurities from the oil, the impuritieshaving a specific gravity greater than that of the oil. After purifying,additional oil can be added, to correct the viscosity.

It will have been seen that we have discovered the capability ofcentrifugal force and the susceptibility of the crankcase oil compoundsto that force when treated with a solvent as water, or

neutralized by an alkali, and the availability of the mode of operationto that object, and to that force.

We have described several forms of the invention, but obviously variouschanges may be made in the details disclosed without departing from thespirit of the'invention as set out in the following claim.

.Reference is made to Why drain crankcases and'when, by G. A. Round, 8.A. E. Journal, vol. 43, N0. 1, page 301, and Is 011 reclaimingpracticable? by Frederick R. Speed, in Bus Transportation, June 1942.

We claim: The process of reclaiming crankcase or similar oil compounds,which consists in subjecting the. oil compounds as they leave thecrankcase andmixed with a solvent to dissolve impurities in thecompounds and neutralize the acids of the compounds, to a centrifugalforce and to a stirring force, both against the action of gravity, thensubjecting the oil and the solvent in respective parallel surface areasheets to contact actions, moving said parallel spread out sheets overeach other at varying velocities in respect t each other, and subjectingsaid so moving parallel spread out sheets to the action of centrifugalforces for forcing the solvent through the sheet of oil, while moving thoil sheet in surface area contact over the solvent sheet, whereby thecleaned. ojl freed from the solvent is separated m from the solvent.

MELvnm. F. PETERS. ANNE A. BEAL.

